Privileges of Turquoise Card for Forgierner Investors in Turkey

With the increase in the number of requests submitted to the Turkish Ministry of Labor to obtain work permits by foreign workers in Turkey, the Turkish government has issued the Turquoise Card law as an alternative solution to renewing residence permit annually.

What is the Turquoise Card?

The Turquoise Card is a new residence permit system in Turkey implemented by the concerned authorities recently, through which the Turquoise Card is granted to some of the highly qualified people such as scientists, athletes, artists, investors, and those wanting to own property in Turkey.

The Turquoise Card in Turkey is considered a work permit or a residence permit without a specified period, and the card owners have priority in obtaining Turkish citizenship.  This card includes the wife and children under the age of 18.

Turquoise Card for Foreign Investors in Turkey

The Turquoise Card in Turkey can be thought of as the Green Card in the United States of America, or as the Blue Card in the European Union. The worked in this card has been started on the 14th of March 2017, to attract the investors to work and invest in Turkey.

This card gives the investors two permanent rights in Turkey, the right to work and the right to permanent residence, it also gives the investor's family of the wife/husband and children under the age of 18 the right to a permanent residence permit in Turkey.

Turquoise Card Privileges

Holder of the turquoise card enjoys the privileges and rights that Turkish citizens themselves enjoy fully, as they are granted education rights in Turkish schools and universities, in addition to medical care in public and private hospitals in Turkey.

Some of the benefits of the Turquoise Card is that it enables its holder to move between Turkish provinces or even travel outside the country with ease. They also get all the rights regarding real estate ownership and they have priority in obtaining Turkish citizenship. In addition to that, they are exempt from compulsory military service after obtaining Turkish citizenship.

Who can get Turquoise Card in Turkey?

The Turquoise Card cannot be granted to all foreigners in Turkey, there are special people who can obtain it including:

• Foreigners with high scientific qualifications that contribute to the development of science and technology.
• Foreign investors who provide manpower to the country and undertake investment projects that will support the Turkish economy.
• Foreigners who work in import and export
• Foreigners who work in scientific research and contribute to the development of the country's technological systems.
• Foreign athletes who have achieved success at the international level in terms of artistic and sports activities.
• Foreign thinkers and intellectuals who contributed to spreading Turkish culture worldwide.
• Foreigners politicians who are interested in issues related to Turkey's national interests.

How to get Turquoise Card in Turkey

Regarding the way of obtaining the Turquoise Card, the foreigners who legally reside in Turkey can apply using their foreign identity number to the concerned party, to evaluate the applications and study the files electronically, then responding by accepting or rejecting them.

As for foreigners residing outside Turkey, they must apply through the official Turkish embassies in their country of residence, and in turn, the applications will be sent electronically to the Turkish Ministry of Labor to be evaluated electronically.

Required documents to get the Turquoise Card in Turkey

There are not many documents required as Turquoise Card conditions but there are some general necessary documents needed such as: 

• Application form.
• A photocopy of the residence permit.
• A ratified translation from the notary of the academic certificate.
• Personal photos.
• Samples of the works, projects, or researches that have already been carried out.
• A document proving the size of investments of the investors.

Turquoise card acceptance regulations

After submitting the documents required for obtaining the Turquoise Card, the file is studied and evaluated electronically, and the electronic evaluation is carried out using a points system.

The applications that score sufficient points in the points system are evaluated positively. While the Turquoise Card applications for people who do not meet the evaluation criteria specified by the ministry are rejected.

How to deactivate the turquoise card?

Some may wonder whether the Turquoise Card can be canceled or revoked? The answer is yes, the Turquoise Card can be canceled or revoked in the following cases:

• If the work is carried out in a way that violates Turkish law.
• Failure to comply with the specified travel period determined by the Turkish Ministry of Labor.
• Not returning to Turkey for two whole years after traveling from it.
• If the passport is not renewed.
• Stop working for more than 6 months.
• Submitting forged documents.

Obtaining Turkish citizenship for Turquoise Card Holders

After obtaining the Permanent Turquoise residence permit right and working for a public or private company in Turkey, holders of the Turquoise card can apply for Turkish citizenship after 5 years from the date of obtaining the permanent residence permit.

Edited by: Gars Consulting Company ©